Bhubaneswar: The COVID-19 pandemic has forced people all over the world to cover their faces with masks. While some of the people consider the mask as an extra burden on their daily life, a short film titled ‘Mask’ has brought glory to Odisha as it won the People’s Choice Award at an international film festival.
During the International Quarantine Image Film Festival-2020 held in Argentina, the short film directed by Odisha Administrative Service (OAS) officer Shweta Kumar Dash was chosen for the ‘International People Choice Award’ among more than 3,000 films.
Dash, who is currently working as a COVID-19 warrior in COVID-19 prone Ganjam district, directed a 7-minute-18-second film which portrays the struggle of a small boy from an economically backward family to sustain the livelihood of his family amid the pandemic.
In the film, the boy sells masks made by his mother in Berhampur. But people do not show interest to buy the masks due to its low cost and not being attractive.
Dash has tried to raise awareness among people through the film- not only about the necessity of the masks, but also the important role it plays to fill the stomach of some poor people who are dependent on it for their livelihood.
PNN
